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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061390">And They Were Roommates</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/letsgofriday/pseuds/letsgofriday'>letsgofriday</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Chaotic bi energy, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Threesome - F/M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:46:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,881</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24061390</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/letsgofriday/pseuds/letsgofriday</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i> Oh my God they were roommates! </i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Katara moves out. Zuko moves in.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>105</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>374</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Big mood not writing any fic in many years then coming back with a fic based solely off an old Vine meme.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Katara!” Sokka exclaimed, widening his eyes at his little sister. “You can’t just leave me on my own! I can’t afford the rent.”</p><p>Katara sighed, her eyes not meeting Sokka’s. “I’m sorry Sokka,” she began. “But Aang’s lease is up and it’s the perfect opportunity for us to find a place together.”</p><p>Sokka rolled his eyes, aware that nothing he could say would change Katara’s mind. Still worth a shot, though. “But you’ll leave me broke and destitute! I am merely an entry level employee! How could I possibly afford a two-bed apartment all on my lonesome?”</p><p>Katara laughed, her tone tinged with meanness. “You’re an entry level engineer, Sokka. You still make double what I do before all those bonuses and raises you keep getting.”</p><p>“So what-“ Sokka began, but Katara cut across him with an air of finality.</p><p>“Just get a roommate if you’re so worried about making rent.”</p><p>“Where the hell will I find a roommate?” Sokka bit back. “Everyone I know has somewhere to live already.”</p><p>Katara sighed, picking up her bag and making towards the front door. “Just find a randomer on Craigslist. What could go wrong?”</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>$550 roommate needed spacious 2 bed apartment </strong>
</p><p>you: tidy, friendly, needs a place near the university and downtown</p><p>the room: double bed, 13ftx13ft, walk in closet</p><p>the apartment: washer/dryer, central air, bus stop 1 min walk, train 10 min walk, parking available for extra cost, utilities not included</p><p>me: mid 20s engineer, works 9-6, likes gaming and having people over for drinks (no parties)</p><p> </p><p>hmu if you think you’re a good fit</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>“They’re all weirdos!” Sokka moaned. Katara looked unimpressed.</p><p>“Maybe that’s what happens when you post a spectacularly nondescript ad with two blurry photos of the apartment, and one is the freaking front door” she said.</p><p>“No, it’s because only weirdos don’t have friends to move in with. Only weirdos have to go looking on Craigslist for somewhere to live,” Sokka replied, propping his phone up against the bottle of Sriracha on his table so that he could still see Katara in her new apartment on the FaceTime call as he continued to vet the emails he received from Craigslist on his laptop.</p><p>“Doesn’t that make you a weirdo then?” Katara asked, grinning.</p><p>“This guy included his Twitter link to show me what kind of person he is,” Sokka said, ignoring her and clicking on the link.</p><p>Katara’s faced perked up. “That’s a good idea! I would be way more likely to invite someone for a viewing if I knew straight away if we have similar interests.”</p><p>Sokka blanched. “What?” questioned Katara, curious.</p><p>The screen in front of Sokka had loaded just slowly enough for him to realise exactly what sort of material would be contained on the timeline when he scrolled down, judging by the bio. “Full-time furry, part-time foot enthusiast,” Sokka read aloud. “Katara, if this is the calibre of oddballs that I’m going to get replies from, I might just have to sell photos of my feet to this guy and live by myself.”</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>RE: $550 roommate needed spacious 2 bed apartment </strong>
</p><p>To whom it may concern,</p><p>I saw your advertisement on Craigslist regarding a double bedroom in your apartment. I am interested in viewing the room, if it suits you. I am a 26-year-old business analyst working in a Fortune 500 company from 8-6 Monday to Friday. I believe in cleanliness and order. I am a good cook and always clean up after myself. I don’t play games or invite guests over.</p><p>Please do not hesitate to contact me if you feel I am a suitable candidate.</p><p>Yours,</p><p>Zuko.</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>“He seems normal,” Sokka said doubtfully, scanning the latest email about the spare room. On his phone screen, Katara dropped a spatula in excitement and turned to face him from where she was cooking.</p><p>“Forward me the email!” she said excitedly. “You haven’t said that about anyone yet.”</p><p>Sokka did so with a sigh, and a moment later Katara’s face froze as she opened the email on her phone, interrupting the video feed. Sokka wanted to see her face, because although his sister was good at being tactful, her face revealed all.</p><p>“Hmm,” she said. There was a long pause. Sokka waited ten more seconds until he couldn’t stand it anymore.</p><p>“Well? Should I message him back? I really need to find someone and he’s the first person who wasn’t a bot, a sex pervert or a scammer.”</p><p>Katara hummed again. Her frozen face came back to life on FaceTime, and her expression was carefully neutral. “He believes in cleanliness and order,” she started, and Sokka sighed.</p><p>“Yeah, okay, I thought that sounded odd too, but I don’t think I’ve any other choice, unless a miracle occurs and you and Aang decide to…move in here together?”</p><p>“Sokka-“ Katara said in a choked off manner, but he cut her off.</p><p>“I don’t mind being the third wheel! And you guys can have my room, it’s bigger! Just don’t leave me to the fate of random internet people, Katara, please!”</p><p>Katara frowned and Sokka felt guilty, but only slightly. He had gotten over fifty responses to his ad, and this was the only vaguely normal one. Emphasis on the vaguely. In truth, Katara and Aang moving into the room was his one and only hope.</p><p>“Look Sokka, I’m sorry. But Aang and I, we need our own space. I love you and I’m sorry I haven’t helped more trying to find someone to replace me. I’ll do better, okay? Let me get in touch with some of my friends,” she suggested.</p><p>It seemed to be a reasonable compromise. “I accept your apology,” Sokka acknowledged magnanimously. His sister let out a laugh, then hung up on him.</p><p>“Fine,” Sokka muttered to himself. Katara would pull through. In the meantime, he had best let this guy know the room was accounted for.</p><p>…On second thoughts, since Katara’s friends were all airy-fairy hippy-dippy chi-loving types who guaranteed would be insufferable to live with, he should really email this straight-talking business dude too.</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>RE: RE: $550 roommate needed spacious 2 bed apartment</strong>
</p><p>hey zuko</p><p>sounds good you can come check out the place any evening when you’re free, just send me a message so i know you’re coming. here’s the address.</p><p>thanks</p><p>sokka</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sokka was busy trying to set a new personal record on Mario Kart when there were three sharp raps on the door. Confused, he paused the game and went to peer through the peephole. Outside, cartoonishly bulbous due to the fisheye of the peephole, stood a young man with dark, slicked back hair, sporting a sharp suit and wearing a messenger bag briefcase.</p><p>“Hi…?” he questioned as he pulled open the door. The guy stuck his hand out straight away and Sokka took it. The guy’s hand was warm and dry, and bigger than his.</p><p>“Zuko,” the stranger said shortly, and Sokka cringed internally when he realised that he’d fucked up and totally forgotten that the Craigslist guy was meant to come view the room.</p><p>“Oh man, hey! I’m Sokka. Uh, come in.” Sokka opened the door wider and let Zuko in, wincing at how the guy stopped dead on the doorstep when he saw the living room.</p><p>“It’s not normally like this!” Sokka hastened to explain. “I lived with my sister and she did all the cleaning so I’ve just not had a chance to tidy up all that much and-“</p><p>Zuko cut him off. “Your sister did <em>all</em> the work?” he asked in a cold tone. “When did she move out? And why?”</p><p>Sokka felt a cold shiver down his spine at the direct look that Zuko was giving him. He had golden eyes that were…disarming. “She moved in with her boyfriend last week.”</p><p>Zuko huffed out a small, humourless laugh. His eyes took in the piles of clothes all over the table from where Sokka had given up halfway through laundry, the dishes stacked high in the sink, the half-built Lego structure and all the abandoned pieces lying on the floor. “All this in <em>one</em> week?” he asked, tone disbelieving.</p><p>“So?” Sokka replied, on the defensive. It really wasn’t that bad. He just was very busy at work lately. “It’s not normally this bad,” he relented. “Katara was a bit of a clean-freak. My sister.”</p><p>Zuko nodded. “I’ve definitely been called that before. Can I see the rest of the apartment?”</p><p>The pair walked through the living room, Sokka pointing out all the features as they went. “I’ve an Xbox, a Playstation and a Nintendo Switch. You can use them whenever you want.”</p><p>“I don’t play games,” Zuko said shortly, and Sokka winced. Silently, he led him through to Katara’s – no, the <em>vacant</em> bedroom. The walls were bare and had remnants of Blu-tack all over them. Sokka swallowed hard past the lump in his throat as he remembered all of Katara’s art, all her posters about the healing power of the ocean and the moon, all those photos stuck on the wall that she had of her, Sokka, their family and friends.</p><p>“So, this is it,” he began. “It’s a queen size bed, there’s lots of space in the closet, it’s closer to the bathroom than my room.”</p><p>Zuko’s eyes were wandering the room, and they stopped at the floor length windows. “What orientation do the windows face?” he questioned.</p><p>“Uh, I don’t really know,” Sokka replied, thrown. “I think that’s east?”                </p><p>For the first time, Zuko cracked a smile – a real one, his white teeth glinting. It completely changed his appearance from strict and humourless businessman, to a young… attractive guy with expressive eyes and a charming smile. He ran a hand through his hair, and some of the carefully gelled strands came loose, hanging artfully over his forehead as if he’d intended them to do so. Sokka swallowed.</p><p>“I rise with the sun,” Zuko explained. “It’s nice to have the sun on your face first thing. Can I see the rest of the place?”</p><p>Sokka awkwardly showed him the kitchen, wincing as Zuko’s eyes travelled over the split almond milk on the counter, the flour all over the floor from an ill-advised stoned baking attempt, and the – oh spirits. Was that mould on that plate? Sokka hastily stepped in front of the sink in an attempt to block Zuko’s view of his shame. It clearly didn’t work, as Zuko snorted and looked him straight on.</p><p>“Look,” he ventured. “I am a clean person. I generally would expect the same from anyone I lived with. However, I’m willing to compromise as I think the room and location work well for me. All I ask is that if I were to move in, the place be kept tidier than this.”</p><p>Sokka bristled. “I swear it’s not normally like this. I’ve just been super busy-“</p><p>“Okay,” Zuko cut across him. “I don’t need excuses, as long as it’s not always like this. Can I take the room?”</p><p>Sokka faltered. He hadn’t really expected the man to make him an offer. What if Katara pulled through – he stopped that train of thought. Here was someone who worked long hours, was clean, and wasn’t bad to look at either. He’d take that any day over the likes of Katara’s weird hippie friend Chong, who played ukulele incessantly and burned the worst smelling incense.</p><p>“Okay,” he responded. “I’ll send you on the lease now.”</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>Zuko moved in on a Friday evening, one large suitcase and two matching luggage bags in tow. Within two hours, the smell of orange and jasmine was emitting from his room, the kitchen was sparkling clean and while not taken care of, Sokka’s clothes were swept into a laundry basket and placed on the table alongside the clothes iron in an obvious statement.</p><p>Sokka had planned to spend his evening splayed on the couch in his boxers, playing Call of Duty and eating microwave popcorn. Clearly, it was not to be. With a sigh, he plugged in the iron and retrieved the ironing board from the hall closet. It was the least he could do, considering his apartment was the cleanest it had been in over a week, and he hadn’t had to lift a finger.</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>The door burst open, and in piled Sokka and his friends, only to come up short to a heavenly scent. Eagerly Sokka turned towards the kitchen, spotting Zuko with his back to them and headphones in, standing at the stovetop. Sokka strode to the kitchen, eager to pinch a bite of whatever it was that smelled so good. He stuck his arm over Zuko’s left shoulder, and as he did so Zuko startled violently, spun around and pinned Sokka against the opposite counter. “Hey!” Sokka yelled, pushing back against the solid weight of his brand-new housemate.</p><p>Zuko froze, his eyes wide and wary. “I- I’m sorry,” he muttered, voice hoarse. He stepped back away from Sokka, releasing Sokka’s arm from where he’d had it held in a vice grip.</p><p>Sokka managed to find his voice and attempted to reassure Zuko. “Hey, it’s okay. It was rude of me to startle you like that. Are you alright?”</p><p>Zuko nodded once, eyes now averted. “Sorry… I don’t have the best peripheral vision on that side, so I didn’t notice you at all.”</p><p>Feeling guilty, Sokka leant forward to hug it out, but Zuko stepped smartly out of his reach. “Sorry-“ he began.</p><p>“Sorry-“ Zuko paused as the two realised they were apologising over each other. “I’ll not do that again.”</p><p>Sokka shook his head in annoyance. “Dude, I was the one who gave you a fright. I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t do that ever again.”</p><p>Zuko gave him a tiny half smile, so brief Sokka wasn’t sure it had actually happened. “Hey, do you want to meet my friends?” Sokka asked, waving his hand in their general direction.</p><p>Zuko’s eyes widened momentarily, but he nodded and turned towards the door, where Suki, Toph, Katara and Aang were still peering nosily at them.</p><p>“Guys, this is Zuko, my new housemate. Zuko, this is Toph, my friend from high school, her girlfriend Suki, my sister Katara and her boyfriend Aang.”</p><p>Zuko gave an awkward wave. “Hi, Zuko here.” He instantly screwed up his face in embarrassment the second the words left his mouth. Sokka let out a delighted laugh. Zuko always seemed so calm and collected. It was endearing to see him stumble occasionally.</p><p>“We were going to have some drinks here before heading out. Do you want to join us?” Katara asked, widening her eyes significantly at Sokka. He studiously ignored her.</p><p>“Oh…No thanks,” Zuko responded. “I’ve some work to catch up on. It was nice to meet you.” With that, he plated the dish from the pan on the stovetop, and left the room for his bedroom.</p><p>Katara widened her eyes even further, if that was possible. “He seems nice,” she said briefly. Sokka ignored the undertones in that statement and nodded, grabbing some beers out of the fridge, and the bottle of wine for Katara and Suki that he’d stashed in the freezer earlier.</p><p>“It’s very clean and tidy in here,” Katara continued innocently. “You’re doing a great job at keeping it clean, Sokka.”</p><p>He sighed loudly at his sister’s meddling. “Zuko keeps it mostly clean, okay? I’m just a bit more diligent than when we lived together now, is all.”</p><p>Katara mimicked his sigh. “All I’m saying is, don’t take advantage of him. We both know I did the majority of the cleaning here. He seems sweet and shy and <em>clean.</em> Don’t mistake his putting-up with your mess as him being okay with it.”</p><p>Sokka saluted sarcastically. “Yes ma’am,” he quipped. “Now, who’s ready to get <em>drank</em>?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for the comments on the last chapter! It's been so long since I've written anything, I'm finding it hard to get into the flow but positive reinforcement seems to be doing the job! </p><p>Maybe Sokka's mess doesn't seem too bad, but as a tidy person who has lived many untidy people, what I know objectively is not that bad, is infuriating to me. I am Zuko's kindred spirit ♥ Maybe this fic is just therapy for me in that sense. Who kno.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sokka felt warm, oh so warm. Damn tequila shots. There had to be some sort of heating poison in them, to make Sokka feel this way. “’m warm! I’m hoooot! Get it off,” he slurred, grabbing at his t-shirt. Yue giggled and patted his chest, her long glittery fingernails catching against the material.</p>
<p>“Don’t be silly, Sokka!” she laughed. “You’ll freeeeeze,” she finished dramatically, eyes widening importantly. “Although, you are hot. Very.”</p>
<p>“No, no!” He swatted at her hands, dragging the t-shirt up and over his head. Yue cheered, as did Lee, on the other side of him. Two pairs of hands resumed their roaming of his chest, and Sokka blinked heavily at the mildly arousing situation. When Lee leaned in for a kiss, he didn’t stop him. And when Yue’s hand slid down, well. He didn’t stop her either.</p>
<p>Suddenly a bright light was shining in his eyes. Sokka shut them, then peaked through his lashes to see the source of the disturbance. A pissed looking bar employee was standing there, flashlight in one hand and the other firmly on her hip, giving her a no-nonsense attitude. “Come on, that’s enough of that. You, pretty boy, put a shirt and on and the three of you leave right now.”</p>
<p>Sokka groaned at the intrusion but begrudgingly put his t-shirt back on, feeling the tag scratch at the base of his throat, but not bothered enough to fix his backwards placement. He grabbed the already standing Lee’s hand, and swung himself up, catching Yue with him as he went. He wrapped one arm around Lee’s waist, and placed the other hand in Yue’s small delicate hand. “Right, where to?” he asked, visions of kebabs dancing in his head.</p>
<p>Clearly Yue and Lee had other ideas, because they simultaneously said, “your place?” Sokka sighed. This is what he got for boasting about his super-king size bed and how three people always fit perfectly in it. Damn his drunken horny past-self, betraying his drunken tired hungry future-self.</p>
<p>“Sure,” he replied, and managed to steer everyone into a passing cab.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>“Morning,” whispered a voice, too close to Sokka’s ear. He forced his eyelids open, and as the bright light filling his bedroom heralded his hangover headache, he saw just Lee in the bed.</p>
<p>“Morning,” he rasped, blindly reaching for his bed-side water bottle. Lee helpfully passed it over (such a good boy, really), and Sokka desperately took several long swigs until the water was all gone.</p>
<p>“Hey,” he said, nudging Lee whose eyes had fallen shut again. “Thanks for being cool about nothing happening last night.”</p>
<p>“No worries,” Lee murmured. “We were probably all too drunk for something like that. Your bed is really comfortable, I have no regrets going home with you. Best sleep ever.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Sokka whispered triumphantly. “My bed is the best.” Desperate for more water after being teased by such a small amount, he reluctantly swung his legs out of the bed and padded to the kitchen.</p>
<p>“Hey,” came a soft female voice, and he looked over to the sofa to see Yue lounging there, holding one of Sokka’s trashy ‘aliens exist’ magazines. “This is pretty crap.”</p>
<p>“That it is,” he replied, filing up his bottle. Yue smiled prettily at him, and Sokka felt a twinge in his lower stomach. She really was gorgeous. Lee, back in his bed, wasn’t half bad either. If he got a Tylenol and some more water into him, maybe he could make up for the lack of action last night.</p>
<p>He moved towards the couch and bent over the back to give her a good morning kiss, wincing at his own morning breathe and the fuzzy sensation on his teeth. She didn’t seem to mind too much, kissing him deeper and just as Sokka made up his mind to drag her back to the bedroom, he heard a creak of the floorboards and a hoarse voice say “oh.”</p>
<p>He looked over and there stood Zuko, framed in the doorway of his bedroom by the light pouring through. He was only wearing a tight pair of boxer briefs and looked thoroughly shocked by the scene in the living room.</p>
<p>“Oh my god-“ started Sokka, jumping forward with his hands held out wide, as if to placate a startled horse. “I’m so sorry-“</p>
<p>“I’m sorry!” Zuko all but yelled, looking like he wanted to flee but was physically incapable of it. From the couch, Yue laughed, sitting upright.</p>
<p>“Is that Lee? He’s sure changed from my memory!”</p>
<p>Sokka rolled his eyes, turning back to her. “No, he’s obviously still in my bed. This is Zuko, my housemate. Uh… Zuko, this is Yue.”</p>
<p>Yue waved prettily as Zuko stood rooted to the ground. She hopped off the couch, and moved towards Sokka’s bedroom. “Do you guys want breakfast? I reckon Lee will – all those muscles need calories! I can order something for delivery if you want?”</p>
<p>“Who is Lee?” Zuko managed to say, eyes darting between Sokka, Yue and the bedroom door.</p>
<p>Yue laughed. “Oh, he’s not religious, is he?” She turned to Zuko. “You’re not religious, are you?”</p>
<p>Zuko shook his head, clearly wondering where this line of questioning was going. His eyes were still wide, but he had relaxed slightly, and was leaning against the door frame. In the bright morning sun, he looked radiant.</p>
<p>Yue didn’t respond to Zuko’s Lee-related line of questioning, and instead darted inside Sokka’s room. From within Sokka heard her sternly order, “get up lazy bones!”, and a minute later a ruffled Lee was being dragged from the room, his briefs barely covering his package. Sokka felt like he needed a cold shower just looking at the rippling muscles of his thighs.</p>
<p>Perhaps it was a good thing that Zuko was leaning against the door frame because to Sokka’s eyes it damn sure looked like his knees nearly gave out. “Oh,” he said shortly, followed by a long silence. “I didn’t…” Zuko tried, his voice failing him again.</p>
<p>Yue laughed, but not in an unfriendly, mocking way. “Sokka’s a bit of a slut,” she confided.</p>
<p>“Hey!” Sokka protested. “Not just a bit! A lot!”</p>
<p>At this, Zuko laughed awkwardly, a light blush making its way from his chest to his face. Sokka stared, entranced at the sight. “Uh, well…”</p>
<p>“Do you want to join us for breakfast?” Yue cut across him. She held up her phone, waving it. “I was going to order from Mario’s. You ever eaten there?”</p>
<p>Zuko shook his head. “I don’t really eat out much.”</p>
<p>“He’s a really good cook!” Sokka interjected, feeling the need to defend Zuko against Yue’s innocent questioning.</p>
<p>Yue made a shocked sound high in her throat and pretended to faint. “It’s heavenly, it’s divine, it’s all you could ever need in a breakfast place!”</p>
<p>“I’ll take your word for it,” Zuko replied stiffly, eyes darting between Sokka, Lee and Yue. “I think I’ll leave you guys to enjoy your time together.”</p>
<p>At this, Yue and Lee laughed uproariously. “We have breakfast together all the time!” Lee explained. “One more doesn’t make a difference.”</p>
<p>Sokka was certain that Zuko would misunderstand that statement, and sure enough he did. “Oh…are you three <em>together</em>?” He emphasised the last word, and although the answer to that question was negative, he somehow didn’t feel he would be judged by Zuko if the answer was yes.</p>
<p>“No, we’re not a couple,” Yue explained. “Wait… A throuple? I don’t know. Anyway, no. We just meet up sometimes and have fun. But mostly breakfast. Best way to start your day, and all. So, please, join us.”</p>
<p>Zuko look like he’d rather do anything else, but on pain of death for not being polite, he agreed.</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>“Aaaand that was possibly the most awkward meal I’ve ever had in my life,” Sokka recounted later that day on the phone to Toph. She scoffed loudly and in her usual fashion, began to castigate Sokka for all his perceived flaws.</p>
<p>“Maybe you shouldn’t have abandoned your friends in the bar the second you got a booty call message from Yue. Maaaybe you shouldn’t have brought them home. Maaaaaaybe you shouldn’t have dumped the fact that you have a regular threesome on your brand-new housemate who seems meeker than a sheep.”</p>
<p>Sokka frowned to himself. The breakfast had been awkward, sure. But he was mostly joking when he said it was <em>the</em> most awkward. There had been some good moments, sure. Yue was endlessly charming, as per usual. Lee had managed to drag more information about his life out of Zuko in about five minutes than Sokka had managed in a week. Apparently Zuko didn’t really enjoy his job, it paid well but he was saving for early retirement so he preferred to share a house, and perhaps most crucially, he had been looking for a new room because he’d broken up with his ex-boyfriend.</p>
<p>At that news, Sokka, who had been half-reading the trashy alien magazine, had started paying attention. This was the most interesting part of the discussion by far, which had previously consisted of Yue and Lee talking at Zuko and asking him endless invasive questions.</p>
<p>Boyfriend – well. It didn’t change anything. Sokka wasn’t a creep. He wasn’t going to just start hitting on his housemate. He didn’t want Zuko to be weirded-out, and move out after only a few weeks. The process of finding another new housemate sent shivers down Sokka’s spine, even just in hypothetical.</p>
<p>But maybe it did change how he looked at Zuko. Not with potential – again, <em>not a creep. </em>But it was always good to know that your housemate wasn’t homophobic. Sokka had lived with Katara his whole life. They’d moved to the big city together when Sokka realised that while being a car mechanic in their small town gave a comfortable life, it wasn’t enough for him anymore.</p>
<p>Katara, certified genius, had been accepted to the university to study marine biology and when she didn’t get campus housing, needed to find her own place. And Sokka had jumped at the opportunity. A year later he found himself in the university, studying engineering. And now he was 25, and had still never lived alone or with friends or with a stranger. Only his sister, who he could yell at, and who would yell back, and all would be sorted.</p>
<p>He hadn’t realised the little things that living with a stranger would bring. He didn’t really vet Zuko very well. What if he had been homophobic, or hated <em>The X-Files</em>, or didn’t enjoy Britney Spears played at ear-piercing levels? As it was, there was already occasionally friction. He could see Zuko’s eyes roaming the house judgementally, looking at the cans of Coke and Budweiser Sokka left on the coffee table, the socks scattered on the floor beside the couch, the pans left in the sink after cooking.</p>
<p>And it seemed that Zuko, always in a manner that made Sokka feel ashamed, wasn’t afraid of having his thoughts be known. Sokka did appreciate the lack of passive-aggressiveness (a skill Katara had long since mastered) but to have these minor flaws constantly pointed out was aggrieving.</p>
<p>“Are you having deep thoughts?” Toph’s voice broke into his (admittedly, deep) thoughts and brought him back to reality. “Are you thinking about how you’d rather have Zuko in your bed?”</p>
<p>“What – no! What did Suki say?” Sokka spluttered down the phone, immediately engaging denial mode.</p>
<p>“So that’s a yes, then,” Toph replied, amused. “Suki tells me he’s very attractive.”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t know,” Sokka said primly. “I barely see him. He wakes super early, works super late and eats in his room.”</p>
<p>Toph sighed. “Maybe he’s lonely? He just broke up with his ex. I’m not saying you’ve got to warm his bed, but maybe be his friend?”</p>
<p>Internally, Sokka figured Toph was on to something. He’d only lived with Zuko for a week, but he’d seen no signs that he had any life outside work. Maybe he was on the phone in his room, but those walls were thin (he’d heard more than enough of Katara and Aang’s phone conversations to last him a lifetime) and he’d never heard more than the occasional footsteps across the floor.</p>
<p>Externally, he did what he always did and played it cool and detached. “I’m pretty busy but I guess I’ll throw him a bone – no, not like that Toph!” he scolded as she burst into laughter.</p>
<p>“God, Sokka, you always say the wrong thing at the right time. But hey, listen. I’m serious. Plus it’s fun to have a housemate you get on with. Cooking together, getting drunk together, all the essentials.” In the background of Toph’s call, Sokka could hear the squeak and grind of the old door to the living room of the mansion house that Toph had inherited from her grandparents and now inhabited with Suki. It was about nine in the evening, which meant that Suki was probably back from her community martial arts class that she taught in the civic center. She was so damn community minded. Sokka always wondered how someone like Toph, who was self-professed indifferent to (almost) everything and ego-centric to boot, managed to co-exist with Suki. Sokka didn’t believe in opposites attract by any means, but if he wanted proof as to its existence, he need not look any further than his best friend and her girlfriend.</p>
<p>“I’ve got to go,” Toph continued. “Suki’s back from her do-gooding. See you next week, okay? And talk to that damn boy.”</p>
<p>“Bye,” Sokka replied listlessly. Much to think about, clearly. A perfect way to herald the coming Monday.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It is <i> such </i> fun to write chaotic bisexual Sokka.</p>
<p>As always, comments and feedback very welcome. It'll be next week at the earliest before the next chapter is out, because instead of writing this fic, I began writing PWP and got distracted by that to the tune of 7000 words. So keep and eye out for that, I guess.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sokka had just finished off rinsing his dinner plate (his concession to Zuko’s anal tidiness, rather than leaving it in the sink to get all dry and crusty which, fair enough, was pretty damn gross) when the door slammed. He peered around the corner wall that blocked his view of the front door, to see his housemate standing in the entrance way, eyes closed, bag tossed on the ground, and a pained expression on his face. Zuko was taking deep breaths, his hands trussed up in his hair.</p>
<p>“Uh…” Sokka started, concerned. Zuko jumped about a foot in the air, and opened his eyes to glare at Sokka.</p>
<p>“You gave me a heart-attack!” he accused, pointing a threatening finger at Sokka, who raised his hands placatingly.</p>
<p>“Woah, hey. I didn’t mean to scare you.”</p>
<p>Zuko sighed heavily and dropped his aggressive stance. “I’m sorry. I seem to be getting frights from you all the time. I shouldn’t take it out on you. It’s just-“ he cut off suddenly.</p>
<p>He sat down at the table, hoping that Zuko would follow suite, and sure enough, he did, dropping down like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.</p>
<p>“My sister,” Zuko said, sounding downtrodden. His eyes were fixed on his hands and he was breathing deep, measured breathes, like what the teacher had told him to do in that one yoga class Katara had dragged Sokka to.</p>
<p>“What about her?” Sokka pried.</p>
<p>Zuko’s steady breath came rushing out in one blast as he angrily bit out – “she’s always better than me. I’ve worked so hard for this, and she just waltzes around all day, and she still gets the promotion that I’ve wasted my life for. I’ve lost my friends, my relationship, my apartment for this promotion and Azula just grabs it straight out of my hands!”</p>
<p>Sokka blinked. He had never seen so much emotion from the man, bar when Sokka gave him what was seemingly a weekly heart-attack. Where to even begin unpacking it all? “Azula’s your sister?” he began cautiously with the obvious.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Zuko said with a sigh, calmer now that rant was over. “She’s two years younger than me, and she’s a <em>prodigy</em>.” He emitted that last word harshly. Clearly this was something that bothered him deeply. “We work at the same company. It was founded by our grandfather.”</p>
<p>Sokka cast his mind back to Zuko’s very first email, where he stated he worked at a Fortune 500 company. “Damn,” he whistled. “That must be stressful.”</p>
<p>Zuko laughed bitterly and ran a hand through his gelled back hair. Strands fell free, and Sokka found himself wanting to ruffle the perfect hairdo, to make the impeccably put-together man fall apart ever so slightly. “Tell me about it,” Zuko sighed. “There’s been a role I’ve been vying for, for the past year or so. A huge promotion, but I’ve been working hard on networking and improving my skill base. I’m ready for the challenge. And today father announced that Azula would be getting the job. She’s done nothing to deserve it besides being his favourite.”</p>
<p>“Fuck,” was all Sokka could think of to say, but he felt it kind of summed up the whole situation. “And you’ve been working hard for this role for ages?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Zuko sighed. “I dedicated my life to it. I barely slept; I was never home. Jet always complained that he never saw me but I didn’t let up. My ex,” he added, seeing the confusion on Sokka’s face.</p>
<p>So this was the ex-boyfriend then, Sokka thought. He wanted to find out more – not for any nefarious purposes, mind you. This was the first time he felt he had actually learned anything concrete about Zuko. He didn’t want to betray this new confidence between them with invasive ex questioning.</p>
<p>“But why?” Sokka felt the need to ask. “The money?”</p>
<p>Zuko shook his head. “No. Well, yes, but not for the reason you might think. I can easily afford my own place; I don’t need to share. But I want to retire early and I need to save for that.”</p>
<p>“That’s an ambitious goal,” Sokka said admiringly. “I do okay but I definitely spend way too much on random crap that I drunk buy on Amazon.”</p>
<p>Zuko laughed lightly. “I don’t even want to retire early. But I don’t have another choice. I can’t work anywhere else, but I don’t want to work for my father. So if I retire early, I’m not beholden to him anymore.”</p>
<p>“Wait, what!?” Sokka asked, shocked. “What do you mean you can’t work anywhere else?”</p>
<p>“My father would never accept my working elsewhere. I’m there ‘til I retire or die, whichever comes first.”</p>
<p>Sokka shook his head mutely. That was quite possibly the grimmest thing he’d ever heard. He thought fondly of his own father, who lived a simple life: he worked as a fisherman, spent his weekends renovating furniture and hunting, and always gave Sokka a huge hug when he went home.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you just say fuck him?” Sokka asked, curious. While his father had been sad when Sokka left to live with Katara, he had also sat him down and gave him a talk about following your dreams and how proud he was, before slipping Sokka some cash in true Dad fashion.</p>
<p>“I- I couldn’t.” Zuko sounded shocked at just the thought. He paused, then admitted, “Jet always said the same.” Sokka felt vindicated and relieved that Zuko had had someone in his corner previously. “Although he didn’t just say it. Pushed and demanded, more like.” <em>Never mind,</em> Sokka thought viciously. Fuck this Jet character.</p>
<p>“Family is everything,” Zuko explained in tone that made Sokka think he’d spent many hours trying to convince himself of the statement. “My honor rests on furthering my family’s company.”</p>
<p>“Is it, though?” Sokka questioned gently. “Is your own life and happiness not just as important?”</p>
<p>“But I’m happy if the family is happy,” Zuko responded, finally looking Sokka in the eye. “It’s important to me that I do what is right for them.”</p>
<p>“But why not what is right for you? Why not put yourself first?”</p>
<p>“I’ve never done that before,” admitted Zuko. “I guess aiming for early retirement is putting myself first, but I’ll still have paid my dues at the company before I leave. I’ll have equivalent hours as a retiree would have.”</p>
<p>No wonder he rarely saw his housemate, Sokka realised. His life was centred around the office. “But it’s clear that they don’t consider you. You put them before everything else, and they repay you with nothing,” coaxed Sokka lightly. “At this point, is it not okay to give yourself a shot?”</p>
<p>Zuko stared at him. Sokka wasn’t sure if this was <em>the</em> lightbulb breakthrough moment, but he hoped that something he had said had made its way through into Zuko’s head.</p>
<p>“You wouldn’t understand,” Zuko said finally. “You haven’t met my family.”</p>
<p>And I hope not to, Sokka thought viciously. They did not sound like the Brady bunch at all.</p>
<p>“I guess I don’t,” he admitted. “But I know a thing or two about putting myself first, and I know that generally it’s made me happy. And I know that sometimes it’s not the easy option. But the best option for you is not always going to be the easy one.”</p>
<p>Zuko stood up, face worn and exhausted. “Thanks for the talk,” he said with an air of finality. “I’m going to cook.” He paused. “Would you like some?”</p>
<p>Sokka perked up. Zuko hadn’t offered him food before, but the smells from his dishes were always sensational. He took the olive branch with glee. “Yes, please. I’ve been dying to try your cooking. How did you get so good at it?”</p>
<p>“Jet never cooked, and I didn’t want to spend money on delivery, so I had to learn. And if we weren’t going to have restaurant food delivered, then Jet demanded restaurant quality at home.”</p>
<p>Damn, was everything about this guy’s life depressing? Sokka plastered on a smile. “Can I help?”</p>
<p>Zuko had the gall to look shocked at the offer of help. Another tick on the depressing life checklist, it seemed. He nodded carefully at Sokka. “I’ll be making pan-glazed miso salmon. You could help by making the rice?”</p>
<p>Sokka gulped internally. He never had managed to cook rice without burning it to the bottom of the pot. “I’ll try?” he offered with a cheeky smile.</p>
<p>“You can’t cook?” Zuko asked exasperatedly.</p>
<p>“Hey, no, I can! Just not rice!” Sokka retorted quickly. Zuko laughed at him, but let it go.</p>
<p>In the kitchen, Zuko set about preparing all sorts of spices and liquids that Sokka was unfamiliar with, while he was tasked with measuring and rinsing the rice. As they stood side by side, Sokka realised that somehow, Toph’s sage advice had wiggled its way into his brain. And she was right, god damn it. It <em>was </em>fun. Toph was always right.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Toph is always correct and everyone should listen to her always.</p>
<p>Hope you enjoyed, please leave a comment if the mood strikes you so!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zuko was being ornery. It seemed to be a common theme this week, Sokka decided. Anything he could nit-pick, he did. Sokka had left some socks on the floor beside the sofa – the punishment doled out was a tongue lashing. The mouldy stir fry in the fridge? Passive aggressive sighing and slamming of cabinet doors. The stack of glass bottles that Sokka had meant to bring to the glass bins in the building’s courtyard but had forgotten about for a few weeks? When Zuko accidentally hit one and it smashed, Sokka was being subjected to swearing the like of which he hadn’t heard since his time on the basketball team.</p><p>So when Sokka invited his friends over for a night in that Friday, he mentioned it with caution to Zuko. They had never properly established rules about having people over, but Zuko had never said anything before when Sokka and the gang had monopolised the sofa for hours. However, the guy seemed to be on a hair trigger this week and Sokka thought it wise to pre-empt any anger. After putting up with his moods all week, Sokka himself was near to being on a hair trigger.</p><p>“Hey Zuko,” he said casually when he came back from a snack-supply run at the store. Zuko was at the table, stacks of documents in front of him and a frustrated expression on his face. Great, Sokka thought bitterly. This was sure to go down well.</p><p>“Hi,” Zuko replied back shortly, not looking up from his work. Sokka set his haul down in the kitchen and started pulling bowls out of the cabinets to pour the different chips and pretzels into. Zuko looked up at the sound of the crinkling. “I hope you’ll clean up after you eat all that.”</p><p>“Well, it’s not just me. I invited some friends over this evening. We were going to watch some shitty frat comedies.”</p><p>Zuko sighed dramatically. “I’ve work to do. The walls are super thin. You’re always so loud.”</p><p>“We share an apartment, Zuko. We can co-exist and not control each other’s social lives,” Sokka replied, trying not to let Zuko’s attitude get to him.</p><p>Clearly this was the wrong thing to say. Zuko’s face darkened with anger. “We share? And yet it seems to me that I do all the work in this place.”</p><p>Shit, this was so not the argument Sokka wanted to have right now. “Look, now is not really the time-“</p><p>Zuko laughed meanly. “Oh, I think it’s the perfect time. Sokka, I do everything in here. I understand that I have higher standards than you, but it’s not hard to have higher standards than a pig in shit!” He stood up, and gestured wildly around the room. “Look at it! That coffee mug has been sitting on the coffee table for ten days now. I decided to see how long it would take for you to clean one simple mug, but apparently that’s too difficult for you?”</p><p>Sokka took some steps forward towards the table. Zuko stood up rapidly. “You have ridiculous standards, and you never communicate these standards to me! I’m not a mind reader, if you want me to pick up a mug then tell me.”</p><p>“I’m not your mother Sokka, you’re 25 years old! I shouldn’t need to tell you to clean up after yourself!” Zuko spat back, chest heaving with anger. They were standing chest to chest at this point, eyes fixed firmly on each other. Zuko’s face was flushed bright red, and Sokka was sure even his darker skin was turning purple. The other man’s eyes were narrowed to a slit of golden, and in that moment he truly looked like he hated Sokka.</p><p>The doorbell rang. All the tension in the room broke. “I-“ Zuko began, than stopped. Sokka turned away to open the door. “Sokka,” Zuko tried again. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>“Not now,” Sokka snapped as he opened the door to his friends.</p><p>“Hi!” said the ever-cheerful Aang, as he piled into the apartment first, followed by Katara. Sokka watched as his sister took one look at the red-faced, sweating Zuko and the tension in Sokka’s jaw, and knew she was making her own conclusions as to what had just occurred in the room. If she was correct or not, Sokka couldn’t tell.</p><p>Aang had made himself comfortable on the sofa and was chattering away, oblivious to the tension in the room. Katara, with a long look at Sokka, joined him. “I need a damn drink,” Sokka muttered, heading to the kitchen.</p><p>“Same,” Zuko near-growled. He joined Sokka in the kitchen, and silently took the beer that Sokka passed him from the fridge.</p><p>There was another knock on the door and Sokka went to answer the door to Toph and Suki. “Hi, hi,” Sokka said, plastering on a smile for his friends. Damn if Zuko wasn’t going to ruin his night on him.</p><p>Cajoled into joining them and lacking the backbone to say no, the devil himself had sat down on the last remaining sofa spot, Aang in the middle and Katara on the far side. Toph and Suki had taken the armchair, Toph on Suki’s lap and legs swung over the armrest, so that was not a viable option either. That left the only place for Sokka to sit as the sofa arm right beside Zuko. With an inwardly heavy sigh and an outwardly unchanging expression, Sokka perched awkwardly on the sofa arm.</p><p>Although he was trying to avoid brushing against his housemate, he couldn’t avoid it, and he could feel the warmth emitting from Zuko’s body. The guy ran hot – despite his sharp work-day appearance, on weekends he existed in gym shorts and a vest – if Sokka was lucky. Oftentimes there was no shirt at all, and Sokka’s nerves were frayed from the repeated visual of Zuko surrounded by books and papers, hair tousled and unstyled, glasses perched on his nose, shirt firmly off.  </p><p>Zuko shifted inelegantly beside him. Sokka swallowed. He knew they had to talk. He knew that Katara’s senses were on high alert, and that any temporary disappearance of them both would be taken as a <em>sign</em>. He downed the remainder of his beer, deciding that this could be tomorrow’s problem and he wanted to remove the tension on his end by getting lights-out drunk.</p><p>Sokka made a move towards the kitchen, and Zuko called after him, “can you get me another?”</p><p>“Sure,” Sokka tossed back, grabbing a second bottle from the fridge and popping the tops on them. He padded back into the living room and passed the bottle to Zuko, electing not to sit down on the arm of the sofa again. Instead he pulled over a chair from the table, placing it beside Toph and Suki. Aang looked over at him in dismay, and shook his head.</p><p>“Sokka, no, it’s your house! You should sit on the sofa with us. There’s loads of space! Look, I’m really tiny!” he said cheerfully, squishing up against Katara to create more room.</p><p>“I’m fine,” Sokka said curtly, but that wasn’t enough to stop Aang.</p><p>“Please Sokka, it’s okay if it’s a bit tight. I’d prefer that to you perched on that wooden chair!”</p><p>With a sigh at Aang’s puppy dog eyes, he squeezed into the gap between Aang and Zuko, body tense and unwilling. Zuko stiffened, and tried to pull away further, but there just wasn’t room. Sokka was plastered to both Aang and Zuko, but as Aang had Katara to cling to, the majority of Sokka’s touching-someone-else was directed at Zuko.</p><p>Sokka took a long drink of his beer. As he lowered his arm, Zuko raised his to likewise take a drink, and Sokka’s arm hit his. “Sorry,” Zuko muttered in contrition.</p><p>“Okay!” ignored Sokka, grabbing the remote. “Who is up for some terrible 00s comedy?”</p><p>--</p><p>Sokka managed to ignore the fact that he was effectively plastered against Zuko for the duration of two Frat Pack films, by enthusiastically joining his friends in heckling the screen, debating the inherent misogyny and racism in the films, and general shit-talking. However, in this time span he had finished off the beers and had moved on to whiskey, pouring a glass for Zuko as he did so. Sokka drank his quickly, while Zuko nursed his at a more sedate pace. Sokka poured another measure. Zuko felt extra warm at Sokka’s side. He finished off his drink and leaned forward to refill it from the bottle sitting on the floor. He settled back into the sofa with a glass that definitely contained a bit more than he’d intended to pour. My arms are cold, Sokka thought. And Zuko was warm. He shifted in his spot, and tried to subtly press against Zuko in an attempt to warm his bare upper-arms. Zuko turned his head to look at Sokka, cheeks flushed. Sokka quickly looked away and resolutely stared forward at the Netflix screen as Toph and Suki argued over what film to put on next.</p><p>Suddenly the room seemed way too warm, and Sokka pulled away quickly from Zuko’s body as the need to get fresh air over-took him. He stood up, and the room spun in front of him. Too much whiskey, he commiserated internally. Tomorrow was going to be fun.</p><p>“Going for a smoke,” he mumbled, grabbing his keys and his cigarettes. He knew no one would follow him up to the roof, as they all claimed to hate Sokka’s ‘filthy habit’ and refused to be around him if he smelled like cigarettes. As he slipped on his flipflops, Zuko stood up.</p><p>“I’ll join you,” he said quietly, coming to join Sokka by the door.</p><p>Sokka had a feeling he knew where this was going, and surrendered to the inevitability of a black eye. “Sure,” he replied, opening the door and heading down the hallway to the stairs, not checking to see if Zuko was following.</p><p>The breeze on the roof was bracing, and Sokka took a deep breath, steadying himself for the upcoming fist.</p><p>It didn’t come, so Sokka peered at Zuko curiously. “Aren’t you going to punch me?” Sokka asked.</p><p>Zuko turned to him in shock. “What!?” he exclaimed, eyes wide. “Why would I do that?”</p><p>Sokka shrugged. “You seem to be a fighter,” he replied. “Like when you pinned me against the kitchen counter.”</p><p>Zuko gaped at him. “I was startled – I – I wouldn’t just up and hit someone.”</p><p>“Oh.” Sokka turned away, walking to the edge of the roof to sit on the low wall. Zuko followed him, sitting down and swinging his legs over the edge so they dangled freely. His laces hung there, untied and swaying in the breeze. Sokka smiled internally. Zuko wasn’t all that put together as he seemed.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Zuko said, staring out across the city. “I’ve been having a bad week and I blew things out of proportion.”</p><p>Sokka had to hand it to him, the guy didn’t bullshit around when it came to apologies. They were always straightforward and honest. Sokka knew that those were qualities he sometimes lacked his own apologies.</p><p>“I’m sorry too,” he tried. “I do leave it in a mess. It’s not fair of me to let you do all the work. You said when you moved in that you wanted cleanliness and I’ve not upheld my part.”</p><p>“It’s alright,” Zuko sighed heavily. “Little things like that just compounded on all the shittiness I’ve had to deal with this week. It wasn’t really that personal. If it wasn’t you then it would’ve been someone else. At least I can apologise to you here and now. I can’t do that for some random barista who gave me a two pump vanilla oat latte instead of a one pump vanilla two pump caramel oat latte.”</p><p>“…Have you yelled at a barista before?”</p><p>“No!” Zuko exclaimed. “It was an example.”</p><p>“It seems very specific,” Sokka pressed.</p><p>“It wasn’t me,” sighed Zuko. “It was my sister. I was with her and I said nothing. I never went to that coffee shop again.”</p><p>“Dude, your sister sounds crazy.”</p><p>“You have no idea.”</p><p>They sat together in silence as the sounds of the city washed over them. Sokka felt all the tension of the past few hours drain away as he sat, past issues melting away. He looked over at Zuko. The other man was backlit by the lights of the city, his profile sharp and regal. The ends of his hair blew softly in the breeze, the edges of his facial scar blurred in the dim light. He looked beautiful, Sokka thought to himself. So gorgeous. He wanted to scoot over and press himself against Zuko’s body, feel the definition of his chest through his shirt, the subtle muscle in his arms.</p><p>“I want to be closer to you,” he blurted out. Zuko turned to look at him, eyebrow raised in surprise. “Uh…” Sokka continued, mind blank. “I mean, I’m cold. And you’re hot.” Zuko’s eyebrow raised even higher, if that was possible. “Warm,” Sokka amended. “You run warm.”</p><p>“I do,” Zuko replied, amused. He scooted along the edge of the wall to sit closer to Sokka, and tentatively wrapped an arm around Sokka’s torso. Sokka melted into the heat emitting from his body, shoulders tense from the unexpected contact but relaxing by the second.</p><p>They sat like that for – well, Sokka didn’t know how long. But time seemed to be frozen in the moment, everything in slow motion. Sokka was slumped into Zuko’s side, but when Zuko shifted he sat upright, and turned to look at him.</p><p>Zuko was staring at him, pupils blown and lips parted. He licked his lips, and Sokka’s eyes jumped straight to the peek of his pink tongue wetting his lips. He stared dazedly at Zuko’s mouth and, head spinning, thought <em>fuck it. </em>He leaned forward and kissed Zuko.</p><p>Zuko didn’t kiss back. He didn’t pull away. He was frozen in place, unmoving. Sokka pulled back, concerned.</p><p>“Oh god,” he began. “I shouldn’t have done that-“</p><p>“It’s okay,” Zuko replied hoarsely, finally coming back to earth. “I didn’t mind.”</p><p>Sokka winced internally. That was not a rousing endorsement.</p><p>“I mean-“ Zuko said hurriedly. “I liked it.”</p><p>Scratch that. Still not a rousing endorsement, but not negative either. Feeling buoyed and even more drunk, if that was possible, Sokka leaned forward again, and this time Zuko moved forward to meet him.</p><p>The door to the rooftop slammed open, and Katara’s voice came calling, “Sokka? Are you okay?”</p><p>Groaning, Sokka pulled away from Zuko as Katara rounded the wall that sheltered the stairwell.</p><p>“Sokka, are you there? Did you fall off – oh.” Katara’s voice faded as she took in the sight of Sokka and Zuko, sat close together yet looking like they’d rather be miles apart.</p><p>“Am I interrupting?” she asked sceptically.</p><p>“No, no!” Sokka cried, jumping up and going to meet her. “We were just talking.”</p><p>“Mmmhmm,” Katara intoned, eyes moving between Sokka and Zuko. “Okay, well. You haven’t fallen off the roof at least. Anyway, Toph and Suki have to go so I came to get you.”</p><p>“Oh, sure!” Sokka replied brightly, heading towards the stairwell door. Katara sighed loudly enough for him to know it was a message. He just wasn’t quite sure what she meant by it.</p><p>He glanced back at the wall. Zuko was still sitting there, but he had already turned with his back to Sokka, staring out over the city, alone.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sokka really is blind to all hints, isn't he. Silly boy.</p><p>Thank you all for your lovely comments! They really make my day. Please let me know what you think of this chapter too!</p><p>Next chapter will be a bit longer as I've kind of caught up to what I've written so I need to get a few more chapters done first. Oops.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sokka was a certified idiot. Zuko had been avoiding him all week. The morning after their kiss, Sokka had made the ill-advised decision to approach him while hungover. The general attitude of ‘would rather be anywhere else’ that Sokka was exuding due to his pounding headache, had perhaps been misinterpreted as ‘would rather be anywhere else than talking to Zuko’.</p>
<p>Zuko had shut the conversation down sharpish, and fled to his room where he didn’t emerge from for the rest of the day. Not that Sokka was keeping track. He was lounging on the sofa all day because it was where the TV was. Not because it put him in the direct path of Zuko’s eyeline when he opened his bedroom door. Obviously. He wasn’t desperate like that.</p>
<p>The rest of the week had passed without a visual sign of Zuko, although Sokka sometimes heard him padding around the apartment late at night. This wasn’t strictly anything out of the ordinary for Zuko, but Sokka found himself missing his company in the evenings. He hadn’t realised they had come to such a routine, eating Zuko’s homecooked dinner and watching <em>Buffy</em> together.</p>
<p>Sokka was aware that it was all very comfortable. Too comfortable. He hadn’t anticipated this when Zuko informed him that he would rarely be in the apartment. Sokka had made all sorts of plans to live it up. Instead he was washing the dishes and had learned how to make both basmati and sushi rice. And he liked it. Was this domesticity in action? Sokka figured he’d somehow been indoctrinated into this lifestyle, but he wasn’t complaining. The sudden dearth of Zuko was weighing on him a bit more than he would like to admit.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Sokka was making a beeline for the coffee pot at the ungodly hour of 6:30am when he noticed that there was someone in the living room. Two someones, to be precise. Zuko was perched on the couch, a careful distance away from the other man sitting there. This guy was tall and slim, with messy dark hair not too unlike Zuko’s when he didn’t gel it down.</p>
<p>“Uh, hi?” Sokka questioned as he backtracked a few steps to stare at the pair.</p>
<p>“Good morning,” Zuko replied sedately. He made no move to explain what on earth he was doing at 6:30am with a guest in the living room.</p>
<p>“I’m Sokka,” said Sokka dumbly. The other man laughed.</p>
<p>“Yeah, Zuko has told me a bit about you. I’m Jet.”</p>
<p>Sokka felt his eyes widen. So <em>this</em> was Jet, Zuko’s dickhead ex-boyfriend. They looked pretty similar, Sokka’s brain dimly noted. Was this Zuko’s type?</p>
<p>“Nice to meet you,” Sokka replied. “Uh… What are you guys up to?” What the hell was Zuko playing at, more like.</p>
<p>“Zuko invited me over,” Jet said with a smirk, offering exactly zero more details to Sokka’s current knowledge.</p>
<p>Sokka smiled and nodded out a <em>cool cool</em> before escaping to the kitchen to mess with the coffee pot. Facing away from the living room, he silently screamed out a <em>what the fuuuuuck</em>. Everything Zuko had said about Jet thus far had painted a very unfavourable image of the man. Why would he come over at this hour – Sokka’s brain came to a halt as he contemplated something much worse than a weird breakfast date. Had Jet stayed over last night? He hadn’t heard anything through the paper-thin walls, but then, he reasoned, he never heard anything from Zuko’s room. Maybe Katara had just been super loud, and the walls weren’t so thin.</p>
<p>Sokka downed his cup of coffee and refilled it, and grimaced before turning to face the living room once more. Zuko and Jet were speaking in low undertones, a conspicuous gap still between them. Zuko looked frustrated, while Jet looked smug. Sokka hated him on instinct.</p>
<p> He tried not to eavesdrop as he made his way back to his room, precious caffeine in hand. Whatever Zuko was saying, Jet was not responding favourably to. The indignant scoffing and huffing set Sokka’s nerves on edge. He escaped into his room, shut the door, and proceeded to have a silent freak-out. Was Zuko planning on getting back with his ex? Was he going to move out? Was Sokka going to have to go through the whole Craigslist rigmarole again? Just when he’d really found himself settling in with his housemate, this happened.</p>
<p>Some distant part of Sokka piped up that maybe Sokka was jealous. Shut up, he told the distant part, and squashed that distant part back down again.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>Sokka spent his day distracted. He knocked over his co-worker’s coffee mug, forgot how to add seven and six, and tried to unlock someone else’s bike in the bike rack. It was not his finest day by a long shot, and he didn’t get much work done. But he did come to a decision to talk to Zuko once and for all. He would knock on the guy’s door if that’s what it took.</p>
<p>At home, he quickly threw together some pasta and sauce, quietly thinking about the elaborate dishes Zuko would create. He ate without really tasting it, washed up, and sat at the table. And waited.</p>
<p>And waited. Zuko’s usual arrival time came and went. Sokka started finding himself getting impatient, and went to grab a book from his room. When he came out, he heard the click of Zuko’s bedroom door shutting. Of course, he thought miserably. Leave for two seconds and the ghost passes through.</p>
<p>Steeling himself, he knocked on Zuko’s door. “Yes?” called Zuko in a muted tone.</p>
<p>“Can I come in?” Sokka braved, agonising internally for the seeming age it took for Zuko to respond.</p>
<p>“Okay.” His tone was hesitant and unwilling, but Sokka tried not to let that get to him. He wanted to sort the situation and he had put it off for long enough, damn it.</p>
<p>Sokka pushed open the door, and took in Zuko’s room. He had never been inside it before, only caught glimpses of it when the door was left ajar. When Katara had lived in the room, the walls had been covered in posters and paintings, photos and art. There had been heavy curtains covering the huge windows, and trinkets and clutter everywhere.</p>
<p>Zuko’s room did not look like that by any means. It was stark and clean, with nothing on the fresh white walls, no curtains on the windows, and the only trinket in the room being a small statuette of a dragon. The bed was pushed against one of the walls to leave the floor space open, and a yoga mat was spread out in the space, some free weights stacked in the corner of the room.</p>
<p>Zuko himself was sat at the desk, laptop open and stacks of paper beside him. He looked at Sokka wearily, eyes narrowed and suspicious.</p>
<p>“Sit down,” he intoned, gesturing to the bed. Sokka gingerly sat on the crisp grey sheets, cringing internally at Zuko’s cold manner.</p>
<p>“So?” Zuko asked once Sokka had sat down, eyebrow raised. Sokka smiled awkwardly at him, hoping to eliminate some tension. It didn’t work, as Zuko scowled at him.</p>
<p>“I want to apologise,” Sokka began, then paused. He hadn’t really thought this conversation through beyond ‘I want things to go back to the way they were’. He decided that honesty was the best policy, and decided to go with that.</p>
<p>“I’d really like if we could go back to the way things were before.” At this, Zuko’s face seemed to crumple, just every so slightly. Sokka felt confused, wondering what he had said could have caused such a reaction in Zuko. He continued, “I don’t like not hanging out with you and cooking and watching Buffy. I miss doing that with you. I’m sorry for overstepping your boundaries.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” was all Zuko said. For a long minute, Sokka’s words were left hanging in the air.</p>
<p>“You didn’t-“ Zuko began, as Sokka abruptly stood up.</p>
<p>“I’m just gonna-“ he said, gesturing to the door.</p>
<p>“Okay,” replied Zuko, tone stilted and wavering ever so slightly. Sokka felt like he’d missed something, but took his leave with an awkward salute to his housemate.</p>
<p>He shut the door with a sense of finality and having somehow made things worse, but without quite knowing how.</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>It felt like those early weeks again, when Zuko had just moved in and they spent their time awkwardly dancing around each other while sharing a space. Sokka walked into the living room, Zuko immediately shut his laptop and began straightening his papers and books. Zuko walked into the kitchen to grab some water and Sokka paused Netflix until his housemate returned to his room. But it was even worse now, because Sokka <em>knew </em>Zuko – his routines and habits, how he always froze tofu then defrosted before pressing, how he added vinegar to each laundry load to eliminate smells, the way he painstakingly towel-dried each hand-washed dish instead of leaving them to air dry.</p>
<p>So when Sokka opened the fridge to see a portion of salmon sitting in a Tupperware coated in a layer of black miso paste and sesame, marinating away, Sokka didn’t think twice before pulling the jar of rice out and rinsing a few scoops of it under the tap repeatedly. Zuko had taught him well in the art of rice making, and now Sokka found himself soothed by the action of rinse, repeat, rinse, the grains slipping through his fingers.</p>
<p>“What are you making?” came Zuko’s voice, and Sokka turned to spot Zuko leaning against the half-wall that separated the kitchen and living room, a curious expression on his face.</p>
<p>“Oh,” replied Sokka, staring down at the colander full of freshly de-starched rice. He had been working on instinct, the sight of the salmon causing him to immediately set about at <em>his </em>task.</p>
<p>“It’s to go with the salmon,” he admitted with an awkward smile. “I thought I’d help out.”</p>
<p>Zuko looked surprised but pleased, and joined him in the kitchen. “I was just about to start cooking. I appreciate your help.”</p>
<p>Sokka couldn’t help but smile at him. The sincerity in Zuko’s tone warmed him from the inside. He filled a bowl with water and placed the rice in it, letting it soak. Meanwhile Zuko had set about dicing some vaguely phallic skinny purple vegetable and chilis, concentration on his face as the knife flashed across the chopping board skilfully.</p>
<p>“Can I do anything else?” Sokka asked, casting his eyes around for another task.</p>
<p>“You can help me chop the vegetables,” Zuko offered, gesturing at the long skinny vegetable.</p>
<p>“Sure,” Sokka agreed. “Uh, what is that?”</p>
<p>“It’s a Japanese eggplant,” explained Zuko, scraping the seeds out of another chili as he spoke. “It’s sweeter than the rounded eggplants.”</p>
<p>“Like the emoji?” Sokka questioned. Zuko laughed, nodding.</p>
<p>“Yeah, exactly. Here,” he said, pulling out another chopping board and knife, and placing it down beside him on the countertop, placing the eggplant on the board. “Try chopping this. Less fiddly than small spicy chilis.”</p>
<p>Sokka approached hesitantly. His knife skills were subpar and he wasn’t certain that he would not slice his hand open and bleed all over Zuko’s eggplant. He took the knife from Zuko and hovered above the vegetable, unsure where to start. Zuko sighed softly, and stepped behind Sokka. He wrapped his arms around Sokka’s body and grasped the knife over his hands, holding softly.</p>
<p>Zuko’s hands were warm and gentle, and Sokka felt a pit of anticipation open in his stomach. Zuko began moving the knife to cut the vegetable, slicing at a much slower speed than he usually would. “See, top and tail it first,” he murmured, voice close to Sokka’s ear. A thrill ran down Sokka’s spine, and without thinking, he shivered. “Are you cold?” Zuko asked, <em>sotto voce.</em></p>
<p>“No,” Sokka managed, keeping his eyes firmly stuck to the chopping board and the motions of Zuko’s hands on his. One of Zuko’s hands was grasping Sokka’s hand on the knife, thumb gently brushing in slow, unconscious movements on Sokka’s skin. The other was cupped over his left hand, slowly pushing it away from the knife as it advanced down the vegetable. Zuko’s chest was plastered against Sokka’s back, radiating warmth. His breath against Sokka’s neck left little damp patches, his chin resting against the shoulder blade. Sokka was so turned on he couldn’t focus, just surrendered to Zuko’s instruction and blindly hoped that he wouldn’t let go and give the reins back to Sokka.</p>
<p>The two eggplants were sliced and diced in what had to be a record time for Sokka’s cooking skills, and Zuko let go and stepped away from where he was pressed against Sokka. A rush of cold air swept down Sokka’s back, and he found himself turning on the spot, desperate to see Zuko’s face.</p>
<p>His face was flushed and his pupils were blown, only a small sliver of golden iris to be seen. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just returned from a run, and Sokka found him irresistible.</p>
<p>“Can I…” began, and Zuko didn’t wait for him to finish the sentence, but instead leaned forward and kissed Sokka, hands settling on his face, cupping his cheeks. His lips were warm and dry, and Sokka felt himself melting into the kiss, hands coming up to hold Zuko around the waist.</p>
<p>Zuko pulled back to whisper, “Is this okay?” Sokka nodded enthusiastically, gripping Zuko tighter. He leaned forward and captured Zuko’s mouth again, running his tongue gently across his lips until they parted, deepening the kiss, pressing harder and more determinedly. He tasted of cinnamon, his tongue urging its way further into Sokka’s mouth, taking control with an intensity that was characteristic Zuko.</p>
<p>Sokka groaned into Zuko’s mouth, sparks shooting down his spine as Zuko’s hand gripped his hair and pulled just ever so slightly. He grabbed Zuko tighter by the waist, pulling his body in so that his chest touched Sokka’s, warmth bleeding through his shirt. Their bodies were pressed tight together, hips touching. Sokka grinded slowly against Zuko’s hips, lazy motions that matched the slow heat dripping through his body. Zuko groaned quietly into Sokka’s mouth, one hand now firmly entwined in Sokka’s hair, the other still cupping Sokka’s face. In terms of romantic kisses, Sokka’s brain hysterically shouted, this had to be number one. Sokka didn’t really do romance. He did dirty club hookups, Grindr or Tinder meets, a select few from Fetlife. He didn’t think Zuko did any of that – romance or otherwise.</p>
<p>“I need a drink,” he interrupted, pulling away just before his brain did something stupid like propose marriage. Zuko’s face fell. Sokka felt a rushing crash of guilt, his heart dropping like lead. “Oh, shit, no!” he quickly amended. “I just meant…. Damn.”</p>
<p>Zuko perked up, laughter around his eyes. “Damn?” he questioned, his tone light.</p>
<p>“You’re like, really good at that,” Sokka replied, dramatically fanning himself. He leaned back in, ready to fall back into the newfound bliss. Then he heard a sizzle of water hit the immersion stovetop, and the mild arousal in his body was replaced with a sudden fear. “Oh, shit!”</p>
<p>He turned around to see the rice pot overboiling, water spilling out of it and landing on the stovetop with hot splashes. “My rice!” he cried, desperately trying to work the dodgy electronic controls on the stove. He stared at the pot, a sinking feeling in his gut as the smell of burnt starch hit his nose.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I’ve fucked it up.” He spared a glance over at Zuko, and was shocked to see a bright smile on his face, laughter bubbling over.</p>
<p>“Sokka,” Zuko started, but laughter took over. Sokka stared at him for a second, wide eyed, but the giggles were infectious and soon he found himself laughing too, tears gathering at the edges of the eyes.  </p>
<p>“You were trying so hard,“ Zuko gasped out in between cackles, breathing deeply and resting his head on Sokka’s shoulder, still shaking. Sokka closed his eyes and wrapped an arm around Zuko’s torso, holding him close.</p>
<p>Zuko slowly calmed down as Sokka rubbed wide circles across his back, soothing. “I’m sorry,” Zuko managed, mirth still present in his voice. “I really appreciate it. You’ve made so many changes for me.”</p>
<p>Sokka shrugged, hooking his chin over Zuko’s shoulder. “I think I needed to make some of them. What I was doing wasn’t right or fair to you or Katara before you.”</p>
<p>“Still, I definitely went about it the wrong way. I shouldn’t have moved in on a promise from someone I didn’t know that they would change their ways immediately.”</p>
<p>Sokka laughed, squeezing Zuko a bit tighter as he felt a drop in his stomach at the thought of not having Zuko around. “You keep me accountable. And you’re not asking for the world. Just that I tidy up my own messes.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but-“ Zuko started, but Sokka cut him off, voice muffled as he pressed against Zuko’s shoulder.</p>
<p>“I’m really glad you moved in.” Sokka pulled back to look at Zuko’s face, the light red that tinged his cheeks. Zuko adverted his eyes, looking past Sokka. “Hey, hey,” Sokka murmured, stroking his thumb over Zuko’s cheek, skating gently by the edges of his scar. “Take the damn compliment, dude. I really love having you here.”</p>
<p>Zuko’s eyes finally met his, wide and golden. His pupils were blown wide, and he was panting slightly. “Oh,” he choked out, and leant forward and kissed Sokka, fierce and warm and full of emotion. Fire blossomed down Sokka’s spine at the touch of Zuko’s warm lips to his, settling at the base of his spine and sending shivers through his body. Zuko gripped him desperately, deepening the kiss and making soft, desperate noises that only fuelled the fire in Sokka’s body.</p>
<p>They stood there for Sokka-didn’t-know how long, Sokka leaning against the counter and Zuko pressed up against him, trading kisses that were alternately passionate and lazy, comfortable, <em>right.</em> Eventually, reality caught up to them in the form of a loud rumble from Zuko’s stomach. They pulled apart, Sokka giggling in delight. “I think that’s a sign that we should finish what I started,” he quipped, giving Zuko one last kiss before turning around to survey the damage.</p>
<p>The pan of rice was bust, clumpy and waterlogged and nearing cold. The fish lay untouched on the counter, the sliced vegetables in neat little piles. “We can just have the fish,” Zuko said, shrugging. “I’m not bothered to restart the rice since the fish is so quick.”</p>
<p>Sokka deferred to his wisdom, and set about cleaning away the rice as Zuko fussed over the fish, pulled out more unknown sauces and spices, coating the fish generously. The fish was then placed under the grill, and Zuko crouched down to stare at it intently as the timer he’d set ticked away. “Sokka, can you just quickly coat those vegetables in this mix?” he asked, eyes stuck firmly on the grill, pointing to the remaining fish glaze. “And then just fry them for a few minutes?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know…” Sokka replied hesitantly, staring at the vegetables. “I barely chopped them. What if I fucked up?”</p>
<p>Zuko snorted. “Like you did the rice? It wasn’t the end of the world, and it wouldn’t be if you mess this up either. I’ll just shell some edamame and make some instant ramen noodles. No big deal.”</p>
<p>Sokka stared at him, eyebrow raised. It wasn’t very like Zuko to just…let go like that. “Am I definitely talking to Zuko here? Not his body possessed by a not-master-chef?”</p>
<p>“One, not a master chef,” Zuko said lightly. “And two, well. I’ve more important things to think about then a dinner I make practically weekly.” At this, he finally turned his head where it was at Sokka’s knee height by the oven door, and grinned, white teeth flashing.</p>
<p>Sokka swallowed heavily. There was something distinctly predatory about the look, and spirits if he didn’t enjoy it. Shoving <em>that</em> emotion into the “deal with later” pile in his mind, he cautiously tossed the chopped vegetables in the glaze and poured them into the hot pan on the stovetop that Zuko placed for him.</p>
<p>The hot sizzle of the pan kept him occupied for a few minutes, mind temporarily diverted from Zuko’s inconveniently crotch-height head only a few inches away from him. Zuko pulled the fish from the grill, the sweet yet savoury smell washing over Sokka and making his stomach growl too. The fish was plated up and some other sauce drizzled over the pieces artistically, and then Zuko took the pan from Sokka and dished up the vegetables, spoon by spoon to ensure the plates were even.</p>
<p>“It looks amazing,” Sokka said reverently, drinking in the sight of the brown caramelized skin of the salmon and the black edges of the eggplant. “Did I burn it?” he asked, worry creeping into his voice.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry,” Zuko replied, voice soft and calming. “It’s meant to be charred. Gives it more flavour that way.” He carried the two plates to the table, and set up the tableware with some thick white napkins that he pulled out of the dresser beside the table.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know we had these,” Sokka said, rubbing his finger over the thick cotton. “Very bougie.”</p>
<p>Zuko grimaced briefly, then said, “my ex liked restaurant standards.” Sokka was, again, filled with a deep disgust for Jet, but the feeling faded as Zuko continued. “I threw away most of the ridiculous things he demanded – he didn’t grow up with money like me so he tried to fake it, even though I don’t care. But I kept these. I thought maybe I could replicate the restaurant meals, but as a home-date instead, someday in the future.”</p>
<p>“Oh, that’s sweet,” Sokka replied, for lack of a better sentiment. Was <em>this</em> a dinner date? It didn’t start off that way, but now? What was Zuko hoping to get out of this?</p>
<p>“The napkins mean it’s a date,” Zuko said, raising an eyebrow at Sokka. “I can see your brain overworking from here, Sokka. You always get a startled expression on your face when you’re thinking too much about something. I know you.”</p>
<p>The fire was back at those telling words, but this time it didn’t burn so hot down Sokka’s spine. This time it spread slowly like molasses through his body, filling him with a contentedness he’d never thus far experienced.</p>
<p>“Good,” Sokka said firmly. “I want it to be a date.” At this, Zuko’s shoulders slumped with relief, a smile spreading across his face.</p>
<p>“I was scared I was too forward and forceful,” he admitted, sitting down. “I’ve kind of wanted to do this for a while now. But then things went wrong and-“</p>
<p>“Yeah,” murmured Sokka, sitting down across from Zuko and staring at his hand that wasn’t holding chopsticks, just lying there, not being held by Sokka. On impulse, he reached out and grabbed it.</p>
<p>“I hope things won’t go wrong from now on,” he stated. “Communication isn’t my strong point. But this, this is something I want.”</p>
<p>“Me too,” Zuko said, squeezing his hand tight. “Now eat up. After all that, I’m not letting the food go cold!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh, I <i>struggled</i> with this one. Apologies for the delay.</p>
<p>The dishes they make are <a href="https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/miso_glazed_salmon/">miso glazed salmon</a> and <a href="https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/ginger-miso-glazed-eggplant">ginger-miso glazed eggplant</a>.  A bit samey, flavour-wise, you say? Trust in Master Chef Zuko. Note, I'm a vegetarian and have no idea if these flavours go together.</p>
<p>Please let me know what you think! Kudos and comments are always very appreciated. Let's hope the next chapter doesn't take so long, eh? We're starting to come towards an end of sorts in this particular story, but more ideas for this universe keep arising. We shall see. Thank you all for your feedback last time!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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